Physalis(cape
gooseberries, Chinese lanterns) are annuals or short-lived
perennials, more or less hairy. The flowers are bell-shaped,
but the most distinctive feature is the fruiting calyx which
enlarges to cover the fruit and hangs downwards like a
lantern. One species, P. minima(wild gooseberry), is widespread across tropical America, Asia
and Africa, and occurs in all Australian States. It may have
been introduced to northern Australia by Moluccan traders,
prior to European settlement, alternatively, it could be
native.It
is a smooth, branching herb with ovate leaves, small pale
yellow flowers and a 3cm long lantern enclosing the yellow
fruit. It is common throughout the Kimberley, including the
Ord River Irrigation Area and on Koolan Island. In the
Kimberley it is a favourite food of feral pigs. Four other
species have definitely been introduced. P. peruviana (cape gooseberry) is a short-lived perennial
forming a domed shrub to 1m. The large ovate leaves are
softly hairy, the flowers, produced in winter, are yellow
with purple blotches. The yellow berry is edible. A garden
escape in rich, moist soil in wasteland and around disturbed
wetlands in the south-west. A native of South America.
P.
philadelphica
(tomatillo)is an open-branching, sparsely hairy annual with
ovate, slightly toothed leaves. The flowers have a yellow
corolla and blue stamens while the berry is green. It is
cultivated for its edible fruit, and may be naturalised on
wasteland in the south-west. Native to North America. Two
other species have occasionally been recorded as garden
escapes in the south-west. P.
pubescens is
a branching perennial with greyish leaves, yellow flowers
and an egg-shaped lantern around the yellow berry. Native to
Asia. P. viscosa (sticky cape gooseberry) is a sprawling hairy perennial with
small ovate, toothed leaves, pale yellow flowers and a
yellow berry. A native of North America.

Physalisminima, GK

Solanum(nightshades,
kangaroo apples).A very large genus of herbs, shrubs, trees
and even climbers. They are usually hairy, and often
prickly. The flower is star-shaped, sometimes a very pointed
star, in other instances with almost no points at all. The
fruit is a succulent berry. In Western Australia there are
43 native species, mostly in the arid zone, and 11
naturalised ones. Consult a specialist text for exact
identification. Two similar species occur on roadsid es and
wastelands. S.
americanum (glossy
nightshade) occurs from Geraldton to Albany, chiefly in wet
areas. It is a sprawling or erect annual or short-lived
perennial to 60cm. It has oval, dark green leaves. The
small, star-shaped white flowers grow in stalked clusters
from the leaf axils, and are followed by shiny black
berries. A cosmopolitan weed, probably originally from
America.

Solanum
americanum, PH

S.
nigrum(black
berry nightshade) is distinguished fromS.
americanum
by the dull black or purplish berry, smaller anthers and
seeds. Young fruits may be toxic. It is a common weed of
gardens, horticultural crops, wastelands, disturbed
woodlands, pastures, creeklines and wetlands from Broome to
Albany. Often mistakenly called deadly nightshade. A native
of Europe.Two
tall, non-prickly shrubs have been introduced from eastern
Australia. S. aviculare(kangaroo apple)is an erect shrub up to 4m high,
with angular stems. The lower leaves are broad and lobed,
the upper leaves often entire and up to 25cm long. Star
shaped lilac or purple flowers occur in groups of up to 10.
As the fruit develops, the fruit stalk lengthens and the
sprays of orange-red berries become conspicuous. Found on
wasteland around Perth.

S.
nigrum, RR

S.
laciniatum
(kangaroo apple) is a very similar plant, distinguished by
having a notched, rather than pointed, corolla. It is an
upright shrub that can grow to a height and spread of 3m.
The leaves can be entire or lobed and are up to 20cm long.
The purple, star-shaped flowers are 3cm across and held in
groups of up to 10 on long stalks, which elongate even
further as the fruit ripens so that the hanging bunches of
orange-yellow berries are very conspicuous. A more
widespread weed than S.
aviculare,
found on the edges of rivers and creeks between Perth and
Cape Riche.
Other non-prickly species includeS.
pseudocapsicum(Jerusalem cherry), a shrub that may reach 1m, with an erect,
branching stem, dark green lanceolate leaves to 10cm long
and star-shaped white flowers. The fruit is a bright red
berry. It is planted in gardens, and naturalised in the
Kimberley. A native of America. S.
triflorum (threeflowernightshade,
cut-leaf nightshade)is a glandular-hairy, prostrate annual
sometimes rooting at the nodes. The small ovate leaves are
deeply dissected and the star-shaped flowers are usually in
threes and are white or pale lavender. The fruit is cream
with green markings. The whole plant has a 'fruit-salad'
smell. Localised agricultural weed in the central wheatbelt.
Native to North America.

S.
laciniatum, GK

All the other
naturalised species are more or less prickly.

S.
elaeagnifolium
(silver-leaf nightshade) DPis an
upright, often suckering perennial with a somewhat prickly
stem and ovate, sometimes lobed leaves that are felty grey.
The flowers are large, 3cm across, and usually bright violet
but can be white or pink. The fruit is a pendulous yellow
berry. A serious agricultural weed in the south-west of
Western Australia. Native to America.

S.
elaeagnifolium, RK

S. linnaeanum (was S.
hermannii
or S.
sodomaeum)
(apple of Sodom) DP, PP
is a stiff, prickly undershrub, growing to 2m or more in
height and width at favourable locations. The stems,
branches, leaves and calyces are all spiny. The leaves,
which may grow over 10cm in length, are deeply lobed, with
prickles on both upper and lower surfaces, associated with
the veins. The flowers are purple and broadly star-shaped,
with prominent yellow stamens in the centre. The berry is
yellow when mature and poisonous to humans and stock. It is
a common weed of wasteland and grazed woodlands and
creeklines on the Swan Coastal Plain. It is a native of
South Africa. S.
rostratum(buffalo
burr)
PP is
easily distinguished from other species, as it has bright
yellow flowers. It is a very prickly annual to 1m with
large, almost palmately-divided leaves. The prickly calyx
enlarges to enclose the berry in a spiny, burr-like case. An
occasional, minor agricultural weed in the wheatbelt. Native
to North America. S.
sisymbriifolium(viscid nightshade)is an erect, short-lived perennial to 1.5m
tall. It is both glandular-hairy and very prickly. The
prickles are stout and can be over 1cm long; they are
reddish-yellow and impart a rusty appearance to the plant.
The leaves are pinnately lobed and the flowers may be white
or bluish-purple. The fruit is a bright red, shiny, globular
berry. Minor weed of wasteland around Perth. Native to South
America.

S. linnaeanum, APB

A plant that is
native to the south-west of Western Australia, but behaves
like a weed on wasteland road and railsides, coping well
with grading, is S. hoplopetalum (Afghan thistle) PP.
It is also often troublesome in crop and pasture paddocks.
It is an extremely prickly perennial, growing annually in
spring from underground stems. Every part of the plant is
spiny and the prickles may be over 1cm long. It has oblong,
lobed leaves and white or pale bluish flowers in spring and
summer. The prickly calyx expands to cover the fruit.
Probably native to the wheatbelt and Goldfields. This
species has sometimes been confused with S.
hystrix,
a native of South Australia.